Dogmatic political ideology is dead
Author: scott pettigrew- contributor
In the western world right now, we have divided sides and selected teams. One ‘team’ call themselves ‘Conservatives,’ while the other calls themselves ‘Liberals.’ The Conservatives spend most of their days campaigning for fiscal freedom; Conservatives advocate for decreased government expenditures, and they claim that they are advocates for less government interference in our lives. The Liberals aren’t ones to shy away from government intrusion when it comes to fiscal policy or regulation. However, when it comes to social freedom, they are the first in line to cry wolf. It is, of course, the Liberals who vote for the pro-choice candidates, and the Conservatives for the anti-taxation candidates; yet it is also the Liberals who vote for the anti-free market candidates, and the Conservatives for the anti-LGBTQ+ candidates. How is it that neither side has acknowledged the underlying concept of their strongest beliefs, and the underpinnings of western Liberal society? How is it that for some reason, that this country (alongside the rest of the western world) has failed to have ample representation for a pro-freedom movement in the last 100 years? It all has to do with control, and I, for one, am absolutely sick of it.
The main dialogue that we need to disassemble is ‘Liberal’ and “Conservative” labeling; the only thing that we do by describing ourselves as such is ascribing to a pre-packaged set of opinions, from which deviation would leave you stranded from your ideological peers. Not only does this way of thinking divide our nations deeply along party lines, but it stops alternative perspectives dead in their tracks. Under our current party-based political labeling tendencies, it means that being a true freethinker is next to impossible. This is especially ideal for the financial and political elite that have so much control over our political system in the west, since no matter which party wins a given election, the government is still an active role in your life and has a large amount of control over you. After all, there is a reason that most corporate donors donate to both political parties interchangeably. Both labels, Liberal and Conservative, require a government that actively involves themselves in your lives. Because of this reality, no matter what party is in charge, there is a way to control the population through fiscal or social means. Essentially, neither party is concerned with maximizing freedom and liberty; they are simply squabbling over the best way to control a populous. It is at this point that Libertarianism is brought to the table.
As I wrote in a previous publication, “The niqab-hating, rights-snatching, ‘neo-Conservative’ ideology that wrapped itself around the Conservative Party now lies where it belongs – in a rotting grave.” Modern would-be “Conservatives,” such as myself, are being raised in a world scattered with the scarred remains of failed social policies, whether it be the war on drugs, the war on the LGBTQ+ community, or the centuries of female oppression at the hands of mostly male governments. Because of this reality of the times, the next generation of social conservatives, in my very strong opinion, will never come. In the next 20-30 years, the Conservative Party of Canada will be forced to either abandon oppressive social policies, or simply fall through the cracks of relevance and into obscurity.
I am challenging my Conservative readers, right now, regardless of age, to really examine the feasibility of their attitudes toward social policy. Has social policy ever actually created the effect desired? Think of the war on drugs, prostitution, abortion, or any other social issue. Has government intervention made the problem better or worse? Is it better to have somebody shoot up black market dope in a back alley with a rusty needle, hiding from the police, or to purchase the substance they inevitably would anyways, from a legitimate business that creates jobs and contributes to society? Is it better for a woman to have an abortion at the hands of a medical professional, or an amateur with improvised and unsanitary equipment? I could go on, but if you aren’t getting the picture at this point, you never will. Your pro-freedom attitudes towards fiscal policy and private property are surely the cornerstone of Western Economic success, granted, but your attitudes towards social policy are oblivious to history and lack empathy towards those who choose to lead lives that differ from your own.
As for my Liberal friends, it’s time to understand that excessive taxation and government fiscal intervention helps next to nobody. Though you understand the realities of social policies, and fight valiantly for the rights of the downtrodden and underprivileged in society, your attitudes toward the welfare state and regulatory policies show a disconnect with reality. Though Liberals feel as if a large welfare state is a moral thing to do, it has been demonstrated time and time again that the only thing excessive welfare and state programs create is dependence, and the cyclical reliance on a government that can meet your basic needs. The reality is that excessive taxation and regulation hurts the middle class more than anybody, while the financial elites of the west can often subvert taxation and lobby for preferential regulatory policies, the middle class does not have the resources to do such a thing. Instead, they have no real hope of independently competing against a large corporation for market share, which is what leads to the current corporatist economy in which we live.
At this point in time, we should all understand that authoritarianism, in any form, is a thing of the past. Though there will always be a small number of ideologically blinded individuals who are academically introverted and religiously adherent to historically destructive ideologies like communism and fascism, we must all stand in the way of those who disguise their authoritarian mindlessness with empathy and compassion. We live in an Internet world; a world of inherent pluralism, communicative freedom, and social liberation. There is no longer any room for ideologues, and there is no longer any room for those who want to hold back humanity from its unlimited potential. With that, I invite you to join the silent wildfire of the Liberty movement, and abandon the narrow and limiting political labels with which you once identified. After all, the world is changing faster than ever before, and it’s time that our government begins to acknowledge and defend all freedom; it’s time that we acknowledge the need for real change.